An Experiment in Culinary Tastes
by The Darkness Factor
Summary: Training makes for hungry Avengers. At least, that's what Wanda has discovered. Vision, on the other hand, just likes to eat.


**A/N:** Fill for this prompt: "scarlet vision pigging out after a training session :)"

Because Scarlet Vision are adorable babies that must be protected at all costs. Hope you guys like it!

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Natasha is a good teacher. She is hard on her students, but she knows what she speaks of, and she is always firm without being cruel. Wanda appreciates their lessons in hand-to-hand, and is always impressed because the other woman usually manages to defeat her even when she's using her powers.

Her powers apart from her manipulation of minds, that is. Wanda, Steve and Natasha sat together and had a long discussion about her use of that, and they agreed that it was an ability to be used sparingly. Wanda has some inkling of what she showed Natasha, and it… bothers her. A lot. She doesn't enjoy the prospect of making others feel that way again.

But she's still able to fly, and that's an advantage. Flying, however, means that she has to try and land a hit with her magic - a task that is trivial against hundreds of flying robots, but not against Natasha who (somehow) manages to dodge every single one. It is as though the Black Widow has absorbed and figured out how to counter her fighting style with only minutes of observing it. So she circles Natasha in the air (flying isn't natural for her, not like it is for Vision, so Natasha insists on the practice) and tries not to get frustrated as Natasha leaps and ducks around her shots.

"You gotta think dirty," Natasha challenges, spinning away from another.

Wanda huffs. She does something foolish, then, and zooms towards Natasha, using herself as a projectile instead of her magic. The plan backfires (Natasha was baiting her, why did she not realize?) and Natasha rolls with her weight and gets a knee in her back, holding her in place. Wanda could blast her away, but she knows that in a real fight she would have lost before she had the chance.

"Good try," Natasha says, not letting her up. "Maybe next time you'll catch me off guard."

Wanda growls. "I have seen you fight with Cap," she says. The nickname still tastes strange. "There is no catching you off guard."

"True," Natasha concedes. Wanda can envision her smirk.

She likes the other woman. Natasha makes jokes, fights harder than almost any of them, makes time for all of the members of the team, and does not coddle Wanda when she undergoes bouts of anger and sadness over Pietro. She usually takes her here, for sparring. In those matches, Wanda does not use her powers. It is refreshing; it allows her to stop thinking for a little while.

"Will you let me up?" she asks.

"Nah. Make me."

Wanda rolls her eyes, then (gently) lifts Natasha off of her and sets her down a few feet away.

"I think it's been a few hours," Natasha said, glancing over at the wall clock. "You should get something to eat. A couple of the others are in the kitchen right now."

Wanda nods, wincing at the soreness in her muscles as she leaves the room. Natasha stays behind, starting to go through one of her own routines. Wanda has been allowed to watch those, a few times. Natasha's way of fighting is very beautiful, even if it is deadly.

The kitchen (as Natasha predicted) is occupied by Steve, Sam, and Vision. Steve and Sam are speaking to one another in low voices, presumably about the man with the metal arm they encountered last week, while Vision sits staring at a bowl on the table. Wanda looks at its contents before she heads to the fridge to dig out a carton of leftover Chinese.

"You are not eating your soup," she says.

He looks at her. "I am… unsure what to think of the taste," he replies, frowning. "It is delicious, but it burns my tongue. Is it dangerous?"

"Spicy," Wanda corrects. She's not a fan of spicy food, but she's always willing to indulge Vision in his culinary endeavors. "It is good for you, if you do not have it too often." She sits next to him while she waits for her food to heat up; the kitchen island is large enough that sitting across feels too far.

"Hmm." He takes another sip, smiling slightly. She finds herself grinning along with him.

"I presume your training with Miss Romanoff went well?" he asks.

"She got me, eventually," Wanda admits. One day, though.

"That can still be considered 'well', so long as you learned something."

It is similar to what elementary school teachers preach in America, but coming from Vision it is genuine. Wanda shrugs; she learns something new from her fellow Avengers every day. Like the fact that Vision, apparently, has never tried spicy food before and seems to enjoy it.

"I have never tried curry," she admits. "There are spicy variations, I think. We will have to try some together."

He smiles. "I look forward to it, Wanda."

Steve and Sam move closer to them by the time Wanda's food is finished, and the four of them chat while she and Vision eat. He finishes his soup enthusiastically and proceeds to heat up more, while Wanda has to heat up another carton of Chinese in order to feel full. Sessions with Natasha never fail to make her ravenous. Vision, on the other hand, just seems to like eating.

"I think we've turned you into a foodie," teases Sam. "Have we gotten doughnuts yet? Steve, we have a major problem if we don't get the team doughnuts one of these days."

"I call the double chocolate ones," Natasha announces as she enters the room. She's covered in sweat, but doesn't seem to care as she gets herself a glass of water and plops herself on a stool. "You guys will have to fight me for them."

"Ooooh, it's on," Sam warned, grinning.

Wanda and Vision exchange looks. Sometimes, he's the one who helps her preserve her sanity on a team full of adults who like to act like children. Other times, he's the one who helps her preserve her sanity when it's being tested for less… trivial reasons. They're all just a little cynical; his optimism is refreshing.

"Just make sure that the Captain does not eat them all," Vision says.

"Please," scoffs Natasha, while Sam chokes. Wanda doesn't understand why no one ever expects Vision's sense of humor. "I can put away just as much as he can."

"And it is an equally disgusting sight," Wanda mutters. She'll never forget Sunday brunch.

Steve smiles innocently (he may have the entirety of America fooled, but not the Avengers) while Rhodey walks in and starts complaining about Stark. Wanda is getting better about not tensing up when the name is mentioned, but Vision's concerned glance in her direction still warrants a slight shake of her head.

The conversation spirals off into an argument about food and how much should be eaten in a meal versus how much could be eaten, which ends with Rhodey challenging Steve to an eating contest and Natasha slapping a hand to her forehead and telling them both that she is not, "Holding their heads over the toilet for them." Wanda rolls her eyes, tuning out the conversation while she looks at Vision.

"You have had ice cream?" she asks.

Vision's eyes light up. "Is there any chance you're planning on going to that little place in town?"

Wanda beams. "Only if you agree to accompany me."

"Of course, Miss Maximoff."


End file.
